teton national parkhttp://www.skinet.com/skiing/taxonomy/term/1488/%252Ffeed
enFive Top Clinicshttp://www.skinet.com/skiing/backcountry/destinations/2004/09/five-top-clinics?lnk=rss&loc=teton-national-park
<p><b>1) North American Ski Training Center</b><br /><br /> Truckee, CaliforniaThree-Day Sierra Eastside ClassicApril 16—18<br /><br /><b>Lowdown: </b>Review avalanche beacon and probe skills, route-finding, and ice ax and crampon techniques during a three-day trip to the big peaks of California's eastern Sierra. Ski classic springtime descents like Ellery Bowl, Dana Couloir, and Elderberry Canyon, each with more than 4,500 vertical feet of skiing. Led by NASTC director Chris Fellows and eastside veteran, backcountry guide, and level III avalanche instructor Tim Villanueva.<br /><b>Info:</b> $699; 530-582-4772, skinastc.com.<br /><br /><b>2) Colorado Mountain School Estes Park, Colorado</b>
</p><p>Spring Ski-Mountaineering WeekendMarch 27—28, April 24—25, May 22—23
</p><p><b>Lowdown:</b> Start with an easy tour, roped-climbing review, and moderate descent (25 to 30 degrees) on day one. An early start on day two will have you climbing and skiing more exposed terrain like Ptarmigan Fingers or Dragon Tail Couloir—both with pitches greater than 40 degrees. You'll ascend the same routes you ski, putting avalanche awareness and ice ax and crampon skills into action.<br /><b>Info: </b>REI members $290, non-members $330; 888-267-7783, cmschool.com. <br /><br /><b>3) Exum Mountain Guides</b>
</p><p>Moose, WyomingBackcountry Sampler March 6
</p><p><b>Lowdown: </b>Dig avy pits, pick routes, and ski technical descents during day trips to Mail Cabin Creek, Mount Oliver, or Grand Teton National Park. "We focus on real-life scenarios. The guide will point up and say, 'Let's go ski that bowl over there. Okay, how do we do it safely?' —Tom Turiano, Exum guide<br /><b>Info:</b> $220 (for one); $115 per person (for two); $80 per person (for three); $60 per person (four and up); 307-733-2297, exumguides.com.<br /><br /><b>4) Mountain Madness, Seattle, Washington</b>
</p><p>Ski-Mountaineering Course at Whistler, British ColumbiaMarch 12—15 (Custom dates available)
</p><p><b>Lowdown: </b>Learn the fundamentals of roped glacier travel, setting snow anchors, and crevasse rescue—without leaving the comforts of civilization too far behind. Riding Whistler Blackcomb's lifts, you'll reach 7,000 feet in 25 minutes. From there, you'll traverse the Blackcomb glacier and beyond, practicing technical skills and soaking up general touring techniques.<br /><b>Info:</b> $625; 800-328-5925, mountainmadness.com.
</p><p><b>5) International Mountain Climbing School</b>
</p><p>North Conway, New HampshireThree-Day Ski-Mountaineering CourseDates are by private arrangement from mid January to early April, open dates in March.
</p><p><b>Lowdown:</b> Learn roped-descent techniques, as well as ice ax and crampon skills. Test your retention with an overnight and ski descent of Mount Washington on the last day. "The majority of our ski programs are extremely conditions-dependent. In the East, one day it's boilerplate, one day there's high avy danger. —head guide Brad White<br /><b>Info: </b>$400—$685; 603-356-7064, ime-usa.com.
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</p>http://www.skinet.com/skiing/backcountry/destinations/2004/09/five-top-clinics#commentsDestinationsavalancheavalanche beaconchris fellowsexum mountain guidesgrand teton nationalgrand teton national parkteton national parkskiing11201http://www.skinet.com/skiing/files/skinetimages/skiing/content/images/Mar04/bigMoutains0304/SKG0304bmgt.jpg52314Break Your Lift Addiction 0304
Navigating the exit couloir. Skier Hilaree O'Neill
http://www.skinet.com/skiing/Adventure<p><b>1) North American Ski Training Center</b><br /><br /> Truckee, CaliforniaThree-Day Sierra Eastside ClassicApril 16—18<br /><br /><b>Lowdown: </b>Review avalanche beacon and probe skills, route-finding, and ice ax and crampon techniques during a three-day trip to the big peaks of California's eastern Sierra. Ski classic springtime descents like Ellery Bowl, Dana Couloir, and Elderberry Canyon, each with more than 4,500 vertical feet of skiing. Led by NASTC director Chris Fellows and eastside veteran, backcountry guide, and level III avalanche instructor Tim Villanueva.<br /><b>Info:</b> $699; 530-582-4772, skinastc.com.<br /><br /><b>2) Colorado Mountain School Estes Park, Colorado</b>
</p><p>Spring Ski-Mountaineering WeekendMarch 27—28, April 24—25, May 22—23
</p><p><b>Lowdown:</b> Start with an easy tour, roped-climbing review, and moderate descent (25 to 30 degrees) on day one. An early start on day two will have you climbing and skiing more exposed terrain like Ptarmigan Fingers or Dragon Tail Couloir—both with pitches greater than 40 degrees. You'll ascend the same routes you ski, putting avalanche awareness and ice ax and crampon skills into action.<br /><b>Info: </b>REI members $290, non-members $330; 888-267-7783, cmschool.com. <br /><br /><b>3) Exum Mountain Guides</b>
</p><p>Moose, WyomingBackcountry Sampler March 6
</p><p><b>Lowdown: </b>Dig avy pits, pick routes, and ski technical descents during day trips to Mail Cabin Creek, Mount Oliver, or Grand Teton National Park. "We focus on real-life scenarios. The guide will point up and say, 'Let's go ski that bowl over there. Okay, how do we do it safely?' —Tom Turiano, Exum guide<br /><b>Info:</b> $220 (for one); $115 per person (for two); $80 per person (for three); $60 per person (four and up); 307-733-2297, exumguides.com.<br /><br /><b>4) Mountain Madness, Seattle, Washington</b>
</p><p>Ski-Mountaineering Course at Whistler, British ColumbiaMarch 12—15 (Custom dates available)
</p><p><b>Lowdown: </b>Learn the fundamentals of roped glacier travel, setting snow anchors, and crevasse rescue—without leaving the comforts of civilization too far behind. Riding Whistler Blackcomb's lifts, you'll reach 7,000 feet in 25 minutes. From there, you'll traverse the Blackcomb glacier and beyond, practicing technical skills and soaking up general touring techniques.<br /><b>Info:</b> $625; 800-328-5925, mountainmadness.com.
</p><p><b>5) International Mountain Climbing School</b>
</p><p>North Conway, New HampshireThree-Day Ski-Mountaineering CourseDates are by private arrangement from mid January to early April, open dates in March.
</p><p><b>Lowdown:</b> Learn roped-descent techniques, as well as ice ax and crampon skills. Test your retention with an overnight and ski descent of Mount Washington on the last day. "The majority of our ski programs are extremely conditions-dependent. In the East, one day it's boilerplate, one day there's high avy danger. —head guide Brad White<br /><b>Info: </b>$400—$685; 603-356-7064, ime-usa.com.
</p><p>
</p>articleWed, 15 Sep 2004 09:15:00 +0000SkiNet Editor11201 at http://www.skinet.com/skiingBuck Mountain, WYhttp://www.skinet.com/skiing/backcountry/destinations/2004/09/buck-mountain-wy?lnk=rss&loc=teton-national-park
<p> Put your big mountain skills to the test in the Tetons. <br /><b>Beta:</b> As you turn into Grand Teton National Park from Wyoming Highway 89, Buck Mountain sprawls dead ahead, its triangular summit snowfield guarded by dark cliffs. Fortunately, Buck looks more intimidating than it is: Exum guide Barry Corbet (for whom Jackson Hole's legendary couloir is named) was the first to ski from the summit in 1961; leading two clients, he intentionally left his boots unbuckled before starting down. Which isn't to say Buck is casual. Consider it middle school for aspiring ski alpinists, required riding for anybody who hopes to move on to such Teton test pieces as Mount Moran's Skillet Glacier or the east face of Teewinot. Featuring a lengthy approach and serious, though manageable, exposure, Buck has much to teach. Learn the value of a predawn start or be turned back by steep mush. Learn to make calm, measured turns on the 40-degree pitch just below the summit, or be ready to self-arrest. And if you fall above the 500-foot cliffs on your descent to the couloir, pray you'll share the fate of two locals who, on separate occasions, tumbled 1,000 feet and self-arrested just before the brink.<br /><br /><b>The Route: </b>Leave the Death Canyon trailhead by 3 a.m., following the well-packed trail to the meadow below Peak 10,552 (Buck's most southerly outlier), then cut north to the mouth of Stewart Draw. Follow the draw to frozen Timberline Lake, just below Buck's upper face. With crampons affixed and ice ax at the ready, climb up the obvious couloir at the far right corner of the face before punching a diagonal track to the airy, 11,938-foot summit. <br /><br /><b>The Descent: </b>Welcome to Teton skiing at its finest—5,100 vertical feet of steep turns, then a mile and a half of easy poling and coasting to the car. From the summit, follow your boot-track back towards the couloir. This short, moderately narrow, 40-degree section off the summit serves as the crux—you don't want to fall above those cliffs. Once you enter the couloir you'll find tight, 45-degree turns before it mellows out to 30 to 35 degrees. After that, reap your rewards in the rolling Stewart Draw.<br /><br /><b>Safety:</b> The upper face nearly always avalanches after fresh snow. Save Buck for a spring day in May during a consistent freeze-melt cycle. Start early; a wet slide would be disastrous above those cliffs. And have your self-arrest nailed.
</p><p><b>Other Info:</b> You only need a permit if you plan on overnighting. Call the Grand Teton National Park ranger station at 307-739-3309; nps.gov/ grte/index.htm. The best route information can be found in Select Peaks of Greater Yellowstone—A Mountaineering History and Guide, by Thomas Turiano. Guide services are available from Jackson Hole Mountain Guides (307-733-4979; jhmg.com) and Exum Mountain Guides (307-733-2297; exumguides.com).
</p><p>
</p>http://www.skinet.com/skiing/backcountry/destinations/2004/09/buck-mountain-wy#commentsDestinationseast facegrand teton nationalgrand teton national parkteton national parkskiing11206http://www.skinet.com/skiing/files/skinetimages/skiing/content/images/Mar04/bigMoutains0304/SKG0304bmft.jpg52313Break Your Lift Addiction 0304
"Uncle Buck, Uncle Buck.Hilaree O'Neill descends the East Ridge.
http://www.skinet.com/skiing/Adventure<p> Put your big mountain skills to the test in the Tetons. <br /><b>Beta:</b> As you turn into Grand Teton National Park from Wyoming Highway 89, Buck Mountain sprawls dead ahead, its triangular summit snowfield guarded by dark cliffs. Fortunately, Buck looks more intimidating than it is: Exum guide Barry Corbet (for whom Jackson Hole's legendary couloir is named) was the first to ski from the summit in 1961; leading two clients, he intentionally left his boots unbuckled before starting down. Which isn't to say Buck is casual. Consider it middle school for aspiring ski alpinists, required riding for anybody who hopes to move on to such Teton test pieces as Mount Moran's Skillet Glacier or the east face of Teewinot. Featuring a lengthy approach and serious, though manageable, exposure, Buck has much to teach. Learn the value of a predawn start or be turned back by steep mush. Learn to make calm, measured turns on the 40-degree pitch just below the summit, or be ready to self-arrest. And if you fall above the 500-foot cliffs on your descent to the couloir, pray you'll share the fate of two locals who, on separate occasions, tumbled 1,000 feet and self-arrested just before the brink.<br /><br /><b>The Route: </b>Leave the Death Canyon trailhead by 3 a.m., following the well-packed trail to the meadow below Peak 10,552 (Buck's most southerly outlier), then cut north to the mouth of Stewart Draw. Follow the draw to frozen Timberline Lake, just below Buck's upper face. With crampons affixed and ice ax at the ready, climb up the obvious couloir at the far right corner of the face before punching a diagonal track to the airy, 11,938-foot summit. <br /><br /><b>The Descent: </b>Welcome to Teton skiing at its finest—5,100 vertical feet of steep turns, then a mile and a half of easy poling and coasting to the car. From the summit, follow your boot-track back towards the couloir. This short, moderately narrow, 40-degree section off the summit serves as the crux—you don't want to fall above those cliffs. Once you enter the couloir you'll find tight, 45-degree turns before it mellows out to 30 to 35 degrees. After that, reap your rewards in the rolling Stewart Draw.<br /><br /><b>Safety:</b> The upper face nearly always avalanches after fresh snow. Save Buck for a spring day in May during a consistent freeze-melt cycle. Start early; a wet slide would be disastrous above those cliffs. And have your self-arrest nailed.
</p><p><b>Other Info:</b> You only need a permit if you plan on overnighting. Call the Grand Teton National Park ranger station at 307-739-3309; nps.gov/ grte/index.htm. The best route information can be found in Select Peaks of Greater Yellowstone—A Mountaineering History and Guide, by Thomas Turiano. Guide services are available from Jackson Hole Mountain Guides (307-733-4979; jhmg.com) and Exum Mountain Guides (307-733-2297; exumguides.com).
</p><p>
</p>articleWed, 15 Sep 2004 09:15:00 +0000SkiNet Editor11206 at http://www.skinet.com/skiing